Tour Down Under 2025 - Men's (Jan. 21-26)

[Wyndbrook]

On the Upcoming races section of my Disco+ Cycling page, it lists stages 5 and 6 of the men's race as scheduled for broadcasting.

Yep, got it, where did that come from all of a sudden and why only two stages.
No womens race either.

Scheduling is just a mess, just realised that French Cyclo-cross champs that were listed have now disappeared.

 

[Wyndbrook]

You can still use Disco+? That's so unfair!

Seems so at the moment.

 

[Rockestar_33]

I have Vine as the favourite atm.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

I have Vine as the favourite atm.

I think that's realistically reasonable. I like Vine as a rider, and I like his skin. (Smoothest and most wrinkle-free rider in the peloton!)

Maybe the concept of competing on home soil is a myth, but I think any of the Aussies have a good chance just because they are riding on home soil.

 

[Potomac]

I think that's realistically reasonable. I like Vine as a rider, and I like his skin. (Smoothest and most wrinkle-free rider in the peloton!)

Maybe the concept of competing on home soil is a myth, but I think any of the Aussies have a good chance just because they are riding on home soil.

I think being 10,000 miles from home soil, and the travel and jet lag, gives a disadvantage to European based riders. Also the best Australian and Kiwis are more likely to participate than the rest of the best from the peloton.

 

[Potomac]

Looking at the list of previous podiums in this race I see lot of non GC types of riders.

Palmares Tour Down Under

Overview of winners per edition. The last winners of Tour Down Under are Stephen Williams (2024), Jay Vine (2023) and Richie Porte (2020).

www.procyclingstats.com

 

[Tricycle Rider]

I think being 10,000 miles from home soil, and the travel and jet lag, gives a disadvantage to European based riders. Also the best Australian and Kiwis are more likely to participate than the rest of the best from the peloton.

Sadly I think what you're saying is is that my faves (Chaves and ole G ) have no chance? 🤣

 

[RedheadDane]

I like Vine as a rider, and I like his skin. (Smoothest and most wrinkle-free rider in the peloton!)

Dare I ask how you know that?

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Dare I ask how you know that?

Just by examining his skin in photographs.

I think a lot of pro riders get that dried-out and old skin look prematurely, so when someone is wrinkle-free at a certain age it's noticeable.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Dare I ask how you know that?

She's probably conferred with Rijumper Joglic Han.

 

[yaco]

Plapp is really good up Willunga Hill, however, Jayco think Schmid will go well. It's a wide open race.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

I have Vine as the favourite atm.

The one thing that speaks in favor of Vine is him being in better shape than most competitors. On "even terms", I wouldn't give Vine much of a chance to be honest. The lack of an ITT this year won't make it easier for Vine to win.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Just by examining his skin in photographs.

I think a lot of pro riders get that dried-out and old skin look prematurely, so when someone is wrinkle-free at a certain age it's noticeable.

So he is grapes fresh off the Vine, rather than raisins or currants?

 

[Tricycle Rider]

So he is grapes fresh off the Vine, rather than raisins or currants?

🍷

 

[Potomac]

Sadly I think what you're saying is is that my faves (Chaves and ole G ) have no chance? 🤣

You know I'm not saying that.

And you might know I'm an EF fan, so I'm rooting for Chaves myself. The good news: his point of origin is only 9,000 miles away, compared the 10,000 for your G.

The bad news for Chaves is the rest of the lineup they are sending with are the most unproductive* riders on the team.

* Unproductive in terms of UCI points scored previous year. Let's hope they all have breakout seasons.

 

[Cookster15]

The one thing that speaks in favor of Vine is him being in better shape than most competitors. On "even terms", I wouldn't give Vine much of a chance to be honest. The lack of an ITT this year won't make it easier for Vine to win.

Vine won two MTFs in the 2022 Vuelta. Against him is the TDU doesn't have any big climbs, so he would need to forge a gap with sheer power and be in better shape.

Luke Plapp looks an obvious favorite with the home town motivation. He needs to step up and the TDU would be a good way to do that. We know Plapp is in good form having won the national ITT title and 2nd in the road race, both earlier this month.

 

[Rockestar_33]

Looking at the list of previous podiums in this race I see lot of non GC types of riders.

Palmares Tour Down Under

Overview of winners per edition. The last winners of Tour Down Under are Stephen Williams (2024), Jay Vine (2023) and Richie Porte (2020).

www.procyclingstats.com

Yeah, I feel like it would be better served as an 8 stage race with an ITT of some sort and then using Mt Lofty in it as well.

 

[pablohidalgo7]

FFB is flying in some of his December and January training rides on Strava. I really think he can take this.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yeah, I feel like it would be better served as an 8 stage race with an ITT of some sort and then using Mt Lofty in it as well.

As a pure race it would, sure. The problem the TDU has always had is that it's in mid-January, so it's often a bit of warm weather training with WT points for many of its entrants that don't have local interest, for years it was basically a sprint-fest with sub-150km stages for that reason, any KOMs were miles from the finish, and even the Willunga stage, usually regarded as the only potentially decisive one, had about 25km from the hill to the finish.

The race has improved a huge amount since to the point where we have a decent mix of contenders and while the race isn't 'hard', they use the obstacles at their disposal much better to generate decent racing especially given the mix of form riders have at this time of the season. Look at the evolution of the parcours of this race over the last 15 years and to be honest there really isn't much to complain about anymore, this is one of the few races where I genuinely think the organisers have done a really good job of improving the quality of the race despite the limitations placed on them by the calendar slot, by not so much making the race harder, just using the obstacles at their disposal more effectively.

 

[Rockestar_33]

As a pure race it would, sure. The problem the TDU has always had is that it's in mid-January, so it's often a bit of warm weather training with WT points for many of its entrants that don't have local interest, for years it was basically a sprint-fest with sub-150km stages for that reason, any KOMs were miles from the finish, and even the Willunga stage, usually regarded as the only potentially decisive one, had about 25km from the hill to the finish.

The race has improved a huge amount since to the point where we have a decent mix of contenders and while the race isn't 'hard', they use the obstacles at their disposal much better to generate decent racing especially given the mix of form riders have at this time of the season. Look at the evolution of the parcours of this race over the last 15 years and to be honest there really isn't much to complain about anymore, this is one of the few races where I genuinely think the organisers have done a really good job of improving the quality of the race despite the limitations placed on them by the calendar slot, by not so much making the race harder, just using the obstacles at their disposal more effectively.

Yeah, that's fair. I would like to see them even do a prologue on top of this though.

 

[tobydawq]

Yeah, that's fair. I would like to see them even do a prologue on top of this though.

They did two years ago and then it rained for the first time in the history of the race so the stage was almost destroyed (except that Bettiol won).

 

[Unchained]

Just by examining his skin in photographs.

I think a lot of pro riders get that dried-out and old skin look prematurely, so when someone is wrinkle-free at a certain age it's noticeable.

That's why I always say " Jay Vine, put the lotion in the basket," I will enjoy my Jay with Fava beans and a delicious Chianti ". So Jay Vine is getting the jersey for best skin? Young rider..white..Sprinter..green.. What color jersey is for best skin? So now on top of everything else that keeps me up at night, filled with inadequacies, worrying about if I am doing CO2 rebreathing correctly, I need to worry about Pogacar's moisturizing routine!!!? What he rubs on his face at night!! Is Jay Vine going to win because UAE cream or sunblock is superior!!? It's all just too much.. No wonder that ugly old man Fisher Black left town with his non winning skin!!
Loreal or Revlon should sponsor a team..

 

[Cookster15]

As a pure race it would, sure. The problem the TDU has always had is that it's in mid-January, so it's often a bit of warm weather training with WT points for many of its entrants that don't have local interest, for years it was basically a sprint-fest with sub-150km stages for that reason, any KOMs were miles from the finish, and even the Willunga stage, usually regarded as the only potentially decisive one, had about 25km from the hill to the finish.

The race has improved a huge amount since to the point where we have a decent mix of contenders and while the race isn't 'hard', they use the obstacles at their disposal much better to generate decent racing especially given the mix of form riders have at this time of the season. Look at the evolution of the parcours of this race over the last 15 years and to be honest there really isn't much to complain about anymore, this is one of the few races where I genuinely think the organisers have done a really good job of improving the quality of the race despite the limitations placed on them by the calendar slot, by not so much making the race harder, just using the obstacles at their disposal more effectively.

Yes, it was definitely a sprinters race in the past. Andre Greipel won in 2008 and 2010. But no sprinter can win GC on this parcours. Agree the organisers have done well to make the best out of both the calendar slot and the limited geography of South Australia. Might have been good to see the corkscrew included?

 

[Kazistuta]

FFB is flying in some of his December and January training rides on Strava. I really think he can take this.

Read an interview where he seemed very motivated, so I think you could be right. It's not unusual for the Kiwis and Australians to be in good/superior form this time of the year, though..